The Provincetown Business Association has suggested that we refer to tourists as visitors. Whatever you call them, they arrive by car, ferry or small plane. They are national and international, northern and southern hemisphere, young and old, straight and gay, with and without store shopping bags. On rainy days the town maxes out with day-trippers from all over Cape Cod.

Local and guest workers are, as usual, all working two and three jobs – your morning breakfast waitress at Choch can be the evening bar back at Front Street. Big name and yearly entertainers are all flyering the streets.

Out at Herring Cove, The National Seashore has renovated the old bathhouses and upgraded the beach concession. Farland, a beloved year-round café/deli runs the concession every day until sunset. It is perhaps a sign of the LGBT times that the National Seashore, no less, has renovated the bathhouse in Ptown, once one of a few gay vacation destinations. Dinner and drinks are served! What’s next? The Meat Rack goes vegetarian.

On Wednesday night Farland hosts a band and beachfire at the Cove of Herrings. Locals gather with their beachchairs, for a drink, tasty beach food and great local music. Some intrepid folks take a swim, others huddle around the bonfire, all lit by the sweet light of sunset, improbably visible from an eastern shore.

This lovely tradition, this lovely summer rolls peacefully through its days. While tides of refugees ebb and flow around the world. While planes are shot out of the sky. While the world forgets 250 young girls kidnapped in Nigeria. While the Mideast saga of real estate, religion and resentment again rolls through its days. For many, the summer’s contrast is present and unspoken, our sad gratitude undeniable.

6 Comments

I enjoyed reading your post, perhaps because I won’t be able to visit Ptown this summer and I miss it greatly. I agree with Beth’s message regarding your English major. Your writing is definitely “Bywater Books – ready.”

Hi Kate, This former Buffalo gal & Catholic just can’t resist correcting a former school teacher, Buffalo gal, wayward catholic (I mean that as a compliment) Red mark for spelling restaurant name incorrectly, it’s Chach, not Choch. We ate breakfast there 2x’s while in Provincetown & they were tasty meals! I keep thinking you were joking somehow writing Choch and it is going over my head. I know, it sounds so mean to correct one of our icons (yes you) but after hearing your act this summer, it sounds like you wouldn’t hesitate to do it. Ok, you can blast my punctuation and run on sentence. I may be a little jealous as I am stuck here in Westchester and you are still enjoying Provincetown. Anyway, we love you Kate, Mary & Lisa

Kate,
Love reading your “greetings”. You are so right, crazy world, peaceful summer. We forget so easily. Jack and I spent last week on a canal boat on the grand old Erie Canal. We were on a seven day news fast. Wonderful. Weather wise, felt more like mid-October than mid-August but the clouds and reflections in the water were beautiful. Please, more warm weather before it is over. Love you and love the reports of your new house from all your visitors. Regina